1/14/51

Scripture: Acts 25: 1-12.

Text: Acts 25: 11; “I appeal to Caesar.”

“I appeal to Caesar.” These are the words of Paul on trial for his life in a Roman court at Caesarea. They were an appeal to good sense. In Paul’s day, the Roman Empire gave its citizens some remarkable privileges. If a Roman citizen, on trial in a lower court, became convinced that he was not getting justice in that court, he could appeal straight to Rome. There was no lengthy process involved. He could adjourn the case against him on his own motion, by his appeal to the supreme court. No police, civil or military official; no judge could block that appeal. Paul saw that the chances were against him in Caesarea. So he exercised his good sense in taking advantage of all facts that would legitimately help him to accomplish his work for the Kingdom of God.

There are those who think Paul was a little too much of the earth, earthy; that he should have said: “I appeal to God and not to man.” Paul was not of that type. He saw Roman civilization as something that could be a tool of God’s purposes. He used the Roman courts, the Roman roads, the Roman language, all in the manner of man of good sense. Paul was a man of superior education. But he was no “educated fool.” He was a man of practical vision. And that vision was of practical importance to the world of then and now. There are other instances of his good sense, for he spoke that language often.

In the church at Corinth, a group of sincere Christians became exercised about the question of eating meat that had been brought to the temple by worshippers of heathen idols and then sold by the priests for what it would bring in the markets. Their question was whether or not conscientious Christians could buy and eat such meat. Some felt that it was sinful to do so, and made quite an outcry against the practice. Paul said to them that the meat itself was nothing significant of good or evil. But if eating such meat was hurting any weak brother’s conscience he himself would not eat any meat while the world stood. All this he would do for the weak brother.

But he made it clear that he would not adopt any rules that would narrow down his contacts with people - even with heathens. He was not interested in a religious sect of exclusiveness, but in a religious message for all people. It is always well, when thinking of Paul’s self sacrifice at this point for the weak brother to remember that Paul knew the brother was weak! He was willing to submit to inconveniences for the weak brother’s sake, but he wasn’t going to yield himself down to the narrow confines of a weak, small person’s outlook. He told the weak brother that he wasn’t going to deal only with Christians, for in that case he would have to withdraw from the world. He proposed to deal with all sorts and conditions of men -- which is really what Jesus Christ also did. Both our Lord, and his apostle Paul, were savagely criticized by enemies for this. And it troubled also many of their friends. Nevertheless it was complete, long-range, good sense.

One reason for Paul’s desire to get before the Roman supreme court was also good sense. People look to their supreme courts for wisdom. It is not always there, but it is more likely to be there than in the lower courts or elsewhere. This is illustrated, to the point of the obvious, in a story told, around the end of the last century, by a teacher who was an authority on the working of social institutions. He spoke of the dangers and the excellence of law courts and insisted that public opinion was often to blame for acquiescing so readily in some legal pronouncements, especially in the lower courts.

Years before the time of this teacher, there was needed in his city a water reservoir, and the city voted to build one. It was built, but when the system was established it immediately showed itself to be a failure --- it wouldn’t hold water! So the city sued the contractor, or building company, whose defense was that there was nothing in the contract that specifically called for the reservoir’s holding water! The argument was a plain enough comment on the moral point of view of the building company and its attorneys. The judge in the case worried himself nearly sick studying various decrees which might have a bearing on the case, and finally came out with the conclusion that he would have to decide against the city on the ground that the contract should have been more carefully drawn. The case went up the supreme court of that state, which reversed the local judge in very few words. The supreme court simply asked, “What is a reservoir for, if not to hold water?”

Now think of those judges at Caesarea, or the governmental authorities who did the judging. The chapter before, and the chapter after our morning lesson, make interesting reading. All of these officials were intelligent enough, after a fashion. Of course, Felix hoped for a bribe, and his wife was a Jewess. Festus wanted to please the Jews -- didn’t he have to rule over them? And isn’t it easier to rule over a people most of whom are contented? Agrippa made a pompous show of his procession in hearing Paul’s case. And he made something of a joke of it too, remarking, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” To get any justice at all, Paul knew that he must move away from the Caesarea atmosphere, dominated as it was by fierce Jewish hatred of him. The Romans -- Felix, Festus and Agrippa --- admitted among themselves that Paul was innocent. One of them even said, “Why, if he hadn’t himself appealed to Caesar, we could have let him go.” But radical Jews were only waiting a chance to kill Paul, even hoping to seize him out of the hands of Roman guards.

It was only the part of wisdom for Paul to go to the supreme court at Rome. But the wisdom was more than just for his personal safety. The possibility of getting a chance to state the case for Christianity in Rome was worth all the risks for Paul. He was the defender and advocate not of Paul himself, but of Christianity.

The tradition is that, after perhaps two years, Paul was put to death in Rome, though that is by no means certain. In any event, he got his case stated there, and that is worth two years of any man’s life. To this day, Christianity shows the marks of Rome’s world outlook, and Paul helped to put those marks there. By getting an atmosphere favorable for all in discussions of Christianity, the groundwork was laid for its phenomenal spread. Even if the real victory of Christianity has to be won in sacrificial struggle, there is not much chance of such victory unless the groundwork be first laid in the hearts of people who have mastered it in the quiet of impartial judgment. Yelling crowds at Caesarea can not make an atmosphere even for discussing Christianity. In ordinary legal procedure of our day, it is customary to transfer a case from one jurisdiction to another if the prejudices of one place are so intense as to influence the thinking of the judge and jury. It was more orderly for Paul’s defense of his faith in Rome than in Caesarea or Jerusalem.

Christianity is on trial now in many, many senses, in both personal and social movements. It is only common justice to ask that its trials be held in some calm atmosphere before a final verdict is given.

Think of our personal attitudes toward Christianity. Think of the noise and hubbub and tension in which hundreds of thousands of people have to make their living today -- the rushing about, the hasty decisions that have to be taken. All of these are constant features of each hour of every day. This atmosphere is not the most favorable or worthy atmosphere for utterance of high religious truths. The Christianity that, by its conviction, directly affects and sways the life of people, is like music at its loftiest in that the concert audience must become quiet, all sounds stopping except the music itself.

There have been shouting evangelists who have swayed people with a kind of feverish urgency. But they first had to be fired with the zeal they had in some kind of meditation. What makes the voice of the prophet effective is patient meditation and broadening in the quiet of his own soul. This was true of the Old Testament prophets -- of Moses -- of John the Baptist in the desert -- of Paul in Arabia --- of Jesus himself.

That danger is probably what we have in mind when we talk of secularism. Much secularism is inevitable and not the result of deliberately chosen evil. We are more or less caught in the current of secular movements, some of them worldwide in sweep and scope. The trouble is that the sweep is so irresistible that it sweeps almost all the religious consciousness and interest out of us. Secularism in this sense -- making us worldly because we are in the world -- is bad enough. But it is not as bad as worldliness, which is such love of the world as to enable us to see nothing of any worth except the things of the world, or any motives or impulses except those of the world. This type of worldliness is likely never to have heard of any higher moral law.

There must have been something exhilarating to Paul in the very thought of getting to Rome. He had a capacious mind, and he was eager to get his truth before a court composed of capacious minds. He liked to think in terms of facts and ideas of size. He was proud that he had been born in Tarsus -- a Roman city -- had been educated at the feet of Gamaliel, a great “doctor of the law.” He dreamed of carrying the gospel far beyond the ears of Palestinian Jews to the Gentiles of every known part of the world --- even to Spain.

He realized that, if he could get the highest tribunal to pass formally and favorably on his message, the decree would be valid everywhere. The preaching of Paul is of universal appeal. In his view, Jesus had come not to Palestinian folk alone but to all people of the whole world (i.e., you and me). This universality is still of the essence of Christian responsibility today. The gospel is for the whole world, for all people everywhere. “God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth,” [Acts 17: 26] and in God men live and move and have their being.

If Paul should have recently returned to earth, I have no doubt that he would have sought a place among the delegates to the World Council of Churches.

One of the great Old Testament heroes -- Nehemiah -- was sent by the king to repair the walls of Jerusalem. Those who had dwelt there had their own selfish reasons to talk his plans to death. They had immense faith in “talk.” Nehemiah always acted as if he lived in the realm of high principles. When he had the work of rebuilding the walls well under way a committee came and asked Nehemiah to come down and “talk it over” in the plain, seeking to discourage him from so great a task. This was Nehemiah’s reply: “I am doing a great work -- so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I come down to talk to you?” [Nehemiah 6: 1-3]. The three of them; Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem, did this four times. Nehemiah’s friends feared he was in danger --- urged him to go into the temple and shut the doors.

Nehemiah’s reply was that of one of lofty spirit: “Should such a one as I flee? And who is there, that, being such as I, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.” When the people caught what Nehemiah meant, they said it was of God. It took them some time to see it, but the reason they had a chance to see it was that Nehemiah had appealed to a high court of opinion.

A man once called Jesus a judge, and Jesus asked him why. The reply to Jesus was that the man wanted to receive something from a brother’s inheritance. We sometimes read the story as if Jesus refused to judge. Actually, Jesus judged at once, on a higher level of common sense. His verdict was that of a high court: to grasp the right essential at once, by getting rid of covetousness. [Luke 12: 13-15].

It is good sense to appeal to the wisdom that is higher than the confusing conflict of our everyday, near-at-hand existence.

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Delivered in Wisconsin Rapids, January 14, 1951.

Also at Waioli Church, January 11, 1976.

[The following prayer was given after the sermon at Waioli Church on 1-11-76, and also at Nekoosa on 8-13-72.

Father of mercies and God of all comfort, we lift our hearts to Thee in prayer and praise. From the things that we can see and touch outwardly, we turn to Thee who art inwardly felt and spiritually know. We have found this world full of questions hard to answer and even difficult to understand. But we have found it, as well, full of Thy grace and goodness. For beauty in nature and art, for nobility of character and loveliness in family life, for fathers and mothers who have gone before and for children who come after, for the rich heritage brought to our lives by the sacrifices of the past, we thank Thee. Especially for the Christ, whom not having seen with our eyes we love; on whom we believe in our hearts; we rejoice with truth and gladness, and give Thee our thanks.

Here in Thy sanctuary lift up unhappy souls into joy; lift uninspired souls into illumination; bring crushed souls into fresh encouragement; lead the defeated into moral victory; enable us to meet life and death bravely; to fight the good fight, to keep the faith, to finish the race.

From our worship here, send us back into the world to be Christian. Forgive us that we take upon our lips his name who lived purely, believed deeply, adventured bravely and triumphed gloriously, and yet we be false to his spirit. We remember with unutterable gratitude his sacrificial death that we might live in the hope of righteousness and salvation. May we today behold the glory of the Lord, and be changed into his likeness in the way we live. We pray for Christ-like integrity of character; let us participate in his faith, his compassion, his indignation against sinful living, and his unbounded love for sinners. Give us grace to be persuasive witnesses for the gospel. Let Christ live in us.

From our worship, send us out to be better citizens of our nation. Put depth and sacrificial meaning into our patriotism. Let our loyalty be far deeper than our salutes and songs, and put upon the shoulders of each of us some burden of useful and redeeming service to our nation’s causes and people. We pray against the crimes that curse the country, the delinquency that afflicts some of the young and old, against broken homes, impoverished slums, corruption in government; and misuse of power wherever it be in ownership, labor, government; against the inequities that make a few rich and many poor. Help us to act as we pray. Enlist us among the ranks of those who serve the community. Let our love of country be translated into redeeming deeds. Let our country be fairer for our children because we have tried to make it so.

Send us out, from our worship, to be better citizens of the world. O God who didst sent Thy Son into the world to save it, see our dismaying need of Thy judgment and redemption. Let no despair paralyze our actions for a better world. Awake us from apathy and from faithlessness that surrenders to defeat. Let us see that, by Thy grace, we could bring peace and brotherhood, progress and prosperity upon the earth. Help us to build it as Thou wouldst have it built. O God, convince us and convert us, we pray in the spirit of Christ.

Amen.

[Lord’s prayer].